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Once upon a time, the British car industry was the envy of the world.
The West Midlands was an automotive powerhouse, and its cars provided the benchmark for rivals to aspire to. It even had not one but two ‘motor cities’: Birmingham and Coventry. It’s why many cars that were familiar in the UK were sold with unfamiliar names in other parts of the world. Join us on a whistle-stop tour of some badge-engineered British classics, including a few that boasted more than just a change of identity.
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Austin America
Austin America would be a great name for a US anchorman. It’s one of several variants of the BMC ADO16, one of Britain’s most successful cars, and as the name suggests, it was sold in the US, Canada and, perhaps surprisingly, Switzerland. Austin marketed it as ‘the perfect second car’, a message convincing enough to attract around 59,000 buyers. Mechanical issues and rust dented the car’s reputation, so very few remain today.
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Innocenti Morris IM3/IM3S and Austin I4/I4S/I5
Innocenti began selling Austin Morris cars in its domestic market in 1960, before the Italian company was purchased outright by British Leyland in 1972. The IM3, so-called because it was the third vehicle of the joint venture, arrived in 1963 with a twin carb engine from the MG 1100. This was followed by the I4, an Italian Austin 1100, in 1964. Other variants followed.
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Leyland Marina
Despite its reputation today, the Morris Marina was a British success story of the 1970s, with sales of over 1.2 million examples. Australian production of the Marina began in 1972, first as a Morris, then as a Leyland. The Marina 6 featured a 2.6-litre E-series straight-six engine. As you can see here, the Marina was also sold as a Leyland In Finland.
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Standard Herald and Gazel
Standard Motor Products of India Limited (SMPIL) was incorporated in Madras to build locally assembled versions of the Standard Vanguard. The launch of the Indian-built, Triumph-based, Standard Herald began in the early 1960s, with a four-door version arriving in 1968. This was followed in 1971 by the Gazel, which looked radically different to the Herald and could even seat up to six people. Production of the Gazel continued until 1978.
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Hindustan Ambassador
One of the most famous British cars built overseas, the Hindustan Ambassador was based on the series three Morris Oxford. Production began in 1958, with power sourced from a BMC B-series unit. Later versions were offered with 1.5-litre or 2.0-litre diesel engines, a 1.8-litre Isuzu-sourced petrol unit and even one that could run on compressed natural gas. The final Ambassador rolled off the production line in May 2014.
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Triumph Italia
The beautiful Triumph Italia was the brainchild of Standard-Triumph’s Italian distributor, Salvatore Ruffino, who saw an opportunity to create a coachbuilt version of the Triumph TR3A. Having acquired the rights to the concession, he briefed Giovanni Michelotti to create a coupé in time for the 1958 Turin motor show. A second prototype was unveiled in 1959, before production began in the same year. Around 330 cars were built, first as the Triumph Italia, but later as the Italia 2000.
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Austin Glider
The Austin Glider is another BMC ADO16 variant, this time built for the Dutch market. According to the excellent AR Online website, the name was probably a reference to its Hydrolastic suspension, and the car still has a healthy following in the Netherlands. We could say something about Glider sales taking off…
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Dodge Omni / Plymouth Horizon
Winner of the European Car of the Year in 1978, the Dodge Omni and Plymouth Horizon are best known in Britain as the Talbot Horizon. It also wore Chrysler and Simca badges in Europe, while North American versions were marketed under Plymouth (Horizon), Scamp (Turismo) and Dodge (Charger, Omni and Rampage) banners. Production took place in the UK, France, Spain, Finland and the US.
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Plymouth Cricket
The Hillman Avenger was Britain’s Rootes Group rear-wheel drive family car of the 1970s. Originally sold as the Avenger, there were also Talbot, Sunbeam and Dodge versions of the same car, along with the delightfully named Plymouth Cricket from 1971 until 1973. For this car unusually large models in publicity photos were used to emphasise how much space there was inside (pictured) at a time when most American family cars were far larger.
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Volkswagen 1500
Another Avenger variant, this time in the form of the Volkswagen 1500, also known as the Dodge 1500 and ‘Dodge 1500, made by Volkswagen Argentina’. Avenger production in Argentina began in 1971, but the car was still being made until 1990/91 by Volkswagen Audi Group. It was the first non-VW-designed car to carry a VW badge in Argentina.
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Chevrolet Firenza
The Chevrolet Firenza was assembled at Port Elizabeth, South Africa, using knock-down kits of the Vauxhall Viva HC supplied from the UK. Local parts were also used in the production of the two- and four-door saloons, three-door estate and two-door coupé variants. There was also a wild Firenza Can Am V8, built to rival the Ford Capri Perana. Later, Chevrolet launched a hatchback using the same Viva architecture.
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Innocenti Regent
The Regent was the last Innocenti to be built while under British Leyland Motor Corporation (BLMC) control. On sale for just 18 months, during which time just 11,213 were built, the Regent was arguably the car the Austin Allegro should have been. Innocenti couldn’t fix all the car’s problems, but tweaks to the styling, an improved dashboard design and twin SU carbs were the highlights of the Italian overhaul. Lusso versions even got a racy steering wheel and styled steel wheels. Bella!
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Chevrolet Chevair
Another South African special, this time in the form of the Chevrolet Chevair. It was almost identical to the Mk1 Vauxhall Cavalier and Mk2 Opel Ascona, which were built in Luton, Antwerp and Bochum. Launched in 1976, the Chevair featured the grille from an Opel Manta and a four-door body, first with 2.0 and 2.3-litre engines, and later with a 2.5-litre engine for motor sport purposes. Tony Pond won the 1979 Duckhams Rally in a Chevair.
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Austin Marina
The North American version of the Morris Marina launched in 1972 as the Austin Marina. Impact-absorbing bumpers arrived in 1974, before the model was withdrawn from the US in 1975, leaving Canada as the only North American market for the much-maligned family car.
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Honda Crossroad
The Honda Ballade-based Triumph Acclaim was the first car built following the deal signed by BLMC and Honda in 1979. This exercise in badge engineering was repeated in the 1990s, only in reverse, with the Honda Crossroad being little more than a Land Rover Discovery with a light Japanese makeover. Fun fact: the Crossroad is the only production Honda to be powered by a V8 engine.
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Cagiva Moke
Rejected by the British Army for not being fit for purpose, the Mini Moke is an unlikely success story. Despite its shortcomings, the Moke was a hit with hip, trendy and fashionable types, and was soon being exported to (and built in) sunnier parts of the world. In 1981, production shifted to Portugal, with the final versions sold under the Cagiva name. A new electric Moke goes on sale in 2022.
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Roewe 750
There are many examples of Anglo-Chinese vehicles built following the collapse of MG Rover. Take the 3SW, which was a rebadged Rover Streetwise, and the first MG to be built in China. The Rover 75 died in Britain following MG Rover’s demise in 2005, but the Roewe 750 and 750E lived on for several years in China. The Roewe featured a longer wheelbase, tweaked exterior styling and a revamped interior.
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Kia Elan
As the styling suggests, the Kia Elan was a reheated M100 Elan. When Lotus production stopped in 1995, Kia bought the rights to the car and the tooling, but General Motors wouldn’t allow the use of its parts. Undeterred, Kia fitted a 1.8-litre engine from the Sephia saloon, changed the rear lights, tweaked the suspension and gave the interior a tickle. Kia also fitted cheap Chinese tyres, which wasn’t a good thing.
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Paykan Hunter
The Rootes Group Arrow range enjoyed an incredibly long and varied career. It arrived in 1966 and remained in production until 2005 in Iran as the Paykan. In that time, the car was sold as the Singer Gazelle and Vogue, Hillman Hunter, Humber Sceptre, Chrysler Hunter and Vogue, Paykan saloon and pickup, plus the South African Dodge Husky. Amazingly, the Paykan picked lived on until 2015.
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Innocenti A40 and variants
The Austin A40 was one of Britain’s finest exports, with assembly taking place in Australia, Belgium, Ireland, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand and South Africa. In Italy, the A40 was initially built in knock-down form by Innocenti, but it wasn’t long before the Italians were building saloon (Berlina) and estate (Countryman) variants of its own. Innocenti also created the A40S Combinata, complete with hatchback-style tailgate.
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Austin Apache
Yet another creation based on the successful ADO16, but this time in a rather attractive four-door saloon body. Based on the South African Austin Apache, the styling of the Victoria was the work of Giovanni Michelotti, with production starting in 1972. It was one of the last BMC cars to be built at the Spanish factory, which was later sold to SEAT. Production of the Apache continued until 1978, making it the last ADO16 to be built.
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Dodge Circuit EV
Externally, the Dodge Circuit EV was almost identical to the Lotus Europa. It was a similar story on the inside, with only the badges and the removal of the shift lever hinting that this was far from a regular Lotus. Even the fully independent suspension remained, although the 2.0-litre engine was ditched in favour of a 200kW electric motor and a lithium-ion battery pack. Sadly, despite plans to launch it in 2010, the electric sports car was killed by the credit crunch.
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Rodacar Maestro
The Rodacar Maestro was part of an ambitious plan for Rover to establish an assembly plant in Varna, Bulgaria. It represented the largest foreign investment in the country since the end of the Cold War, with Rover taking a 51 per cent stake in Rodacar. A combination of factors, including the arrival of the Skoda Felicia, meant that production ceased after just 2200 cars had been built, although the Rodacar Maestro lived on in the form of the Ledbury Maestro.
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Opel Speedster
We’re cheating a little here, as the Vauxhall VX220 was announced in 1999 as the Opel Speedster, but with production of the Elise-based roadster taking place alongside the Lotus in Hethel, it counts as a Brit abroad. It’s also worth remembering that the VX220/Speedster enjoyed an unlikely second life as the Daewoo Speedster prototype.
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Datsun Type 11
What’s certain is that the Datsun Type 11 and Type 12 were copies of the British Austin Seven. The dispute lies in whether they were licensed or unauthorised copies. Production started in 1932, but it wasn’t until 1935 before Herbert Austin imported a Datsun to check for patent infringements. No complaint was filed, presumably because the Type 14 he imported had moved away from Austin’s design.
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Innocenti 950/1100 S Spider
The beautiful Innocenti 950 and 1100 S Spiders were based on the Austin-Healey Sprite and designed by Ghia. Launched at the 1960 Turin motor show, production of 4790 950 Spiders began in 1961, before the 1100 took over in 1963. Total production amounted to 6864 in four years.
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SsangYong Kallista
The Panther Kallista was a replacement for the Lima, with power sourced from a Ford Escort 1.6-litre engine and Cortina running gear. A Granada 2.8-litre (later 2.9-litre) engine was also offered, but the real story here is the production of a SsangYong version. The Korean company bought Panther in 1987, with a badge-engineered version arriving in 1992. Just 78 SsangYong models were built.
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Innocenti Mini
The Innocenti Mini arrived in 1965 and was available in a number of different variants, including Minor, Cooper and T (for Traveller). The Italian versions tended to be plusher and better built than their British equivalents; you might recall them making an appearance in the chase scene in The Italian Job. The best Innocenti built during the British years was the brilliant Bertone-designed hatchback, a car that should have been sold in the UK.
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Santana Land Rover
Land Rover established a relationship with Santana Motor Company in 1956, granting the firm a licence to build knock-down kits. The Spanish company changed its name to Santana Land Rover SA in 1964, before local production of Land Rover models began in 1968. The Series IIIA (pictured) had wheelbases of 88, 109 and 119 inches and a wide range of engines, including 3.4-litre six-cylinder units. The later Series IV featured no Land Rover badges.
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Envoy
Envoy was a brand created by General Motors Canada to sell badge-engineered Vauxhall and Bedford vehicles from 1959 to 1970. The first car to be sold in Canada was a Vauxhall Victor F Series 2, with FB, FC and FD models following. The Envoy name was also used on the Bedford CA van and minibus, along with Vauxhall Viva HA and HB models.
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Mini MK3
Mini production in South Africa dates back to 1959. The cars were sold under a number of different names, including Leyland South Africa, Leykor and simply ‘Mini’. One of the most curious creations was the Mini MK3, which combined the back of a Riley Elf/Wolseley Hornet and the nose of a regular Mini. It wasn’t successful; AROnline reports that just 3871 cars were built (equivalent to one week’s production of Minis at Longbridge).
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Morris 1500 Nomad
Here’s another oddball, this time in the form of the Australian market Morris 1500 Nomad. It’s probably the most useful of the ADO16 variants, and certainly the most practical. It’s essentially an ADO16 with an Austin Maxi boot grafted on to the back, creating what could have (should have?) been the replacement for the Austin/Morris 1100/1300 in the UK. Still want that Allegro?!
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Austin X6
The Austin X6 was based on the Austin/Morris 1800 ‘Landcrab’, with power sourced from the 2.2-litre engine found in the Morris 1500. It was the first time a six-cylinder was mounted transversely in a front-wheel drive car. There were two versions: the Tasman with single headlights and 100bhp, and the Kimberley with quad headlights and a 115bhp twin carb engine.
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Triumph Chicane and Standard 2000
We could go on. There are many other examples of British cars with unfamiliar names, such as the Triumph Chicane, aka the Triumph 2000, and the Standard 2000 (pictured), aka the Rover SD1 (pictured). Others include the Morris Major and Austin Lancer (Australia), Siam Di Tella (Argentina) and even the Suzuki Swace, which is little more than a badge-engineered version of the British-built Toyota Corolla.
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Sterling 825/827
Marketing the Rover 800 family as the Sterling 825 and 827 and selling the cars to the Americans wasn’t a totally terrible idea. The cars shared many components with the Honda/Acura Legend, and Rover still had some credibility left, even after the disastrous attempt to market the SD1 on the other side of the Atlantic a decade earlier. Sadly, despite encouraging sales in its first year, the Sterling ship sank, almost without a trace, as a raft of reliability issues completely undermined its reputation - especially compared to its Japanese-built cousin from Honda.